There was collectively huge statement made by the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams on Saturday night and it went something like this… “THIS IS MARAUDER LAND”. In two crucial victories on their home floor both programs showed their resolve, poise, and their will to fight for 40 minutes. The standing room only atmosphere inside Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium was electric and the Marauder crowd was awesome. This night delivered everything that a rivalry contest brings, drama, emotion, and an outcome that satisfied all in attendance. It was noisy, it was crazy, but most of all it was fun, and when the final buzzer had sounded all was well in Marauder Land.
In the first game of the double header the Lady Marauders defeated the Kentucky State University Thorobrettes 70-68. The game had a fast start and looked as if it would stay a close contest, until the Thorobrettes broke away after the 16:00 mark and went up by 15. Through defensive intensity the Lady Marauders cut the deficit to 4 by the half and went into the locker room down 32-28. “I told our players that defense would get us back in the game and that our defensive pressure would lead to scoring opportunities”, commented Lady Marauder coach Sheba Harris. “The key for us tonight was learning to take the game one possession at time. This win does a lot to bring back some confidence for us and help us understand that we have to take things one possession at a time”. At the start of the second half the Lady Marauders came out and immediately cut the Thorobrettes lead to 1, off of a big-time three pointer by #33 Laura Longmire. Longmire would continue to hit big shots and make big plays that would help lead to the Marauder victory. “Longmire stepped up huge for us both offensively and defensively tonight”, said Coach Harris after the game. “She hit big shots and was 5 for 5 from the free throw line”. We really needed that third leader to step up behind Ashley (McGee #12) and Brook (Morrow #30) and Laura did that for us tonight”. The win takes the Lady Marauders to a 9-11 record.
The second installment of the double header (the Men’s game) had its own set of fireworks that nobody saw coming. Well, nobody except for Men’s Marauder Head Coach Doug Lewis. “Records and stats go out the window in a rivalry game like this one”, Lewis commented after the game. “We knew Kentucky State would get themselves up for this game and come ready to play”. Coach Lewis was right because the Thorobreds came out on Sat night poised with intensity and hot from the three point line. It was a combination that stunned the Marauder men and almost ruined a perfect home record. The Thorobreds took an early lead and would not give up that lead the entire first half. At halftime the Marauders were down by five, but a healthy dose of halftime motivation proved to be what they needed as they came out in the second half and tied up the ball game inside the first minute. And that’s when the basketball drama started. It was a back and forth type of half, each team hitting big shots and making big plays. At times it look as if the Thorobreds couldn’t miss from the three point line, but the Marauder defensive resolve held, and pulled out the victory. It was only fitting that the win was sealed up at the end of the game off of a Kentucky State (over-and-back) turnover, created by pressure defense. The marauders got a lot of help off the bench from Robert Harris. Cole Prophet, the Marauders star point guard was playing on a badly injured ankle and somebody needed to fill in the gaps. “Cole was hurt and we needed somebody to step up. Robert Harris was huge for us tonight, he hit some big shots and made two key throws at the end to put us up and give us the lead”, said Doug Lewis. The final score of 73-71 takes the Marauders to 17-3 and really helps them keep pace with the other teams in the NCAA DIV II Midwest Region. The Marauders are currently ranked 5th in the Midwest Region as they look toward making the NCAA DIV II Tournament in their first season of post season tournament eligibility.
For all in attendance on Saturday night they got a first-hand witness of what a rivalry is all about. They saw the Marauder Men and Women bring all of their emotion and intensity. They saw athletes from both schools playing with passion. And they experienced Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium at its best, with the band rocking and the students singing. But most importantly they were a witness to Central State University Student Athletes saying with their actions…………….THIS IS MARAUDER LAND!